Sir, Under the heading “Athletics honours Pirie” (February 26) you report the tributes
paid to the late Gordon Pirie at the memorial service in St Bride's Church, Fleet Street.
As well as his contemporaries, the athletics establishment, both past and present, and the
press were well represented.
It is regrettable that this acclaim and recognition comes now, after he has gone, and was
not expressed when he was alive. The country he served so well on the world's running
tracks thought him unworthy of an honour, while the establishment found no place for
his profound knowledge of the sport and his boundless enthusiasm. It must baffle his
many admirers world-wide that Britain offered him no official coaching post.
The argument was put forward in your sports letters (December 26) that the regular
award of honours for sporting achievements did not begin until the Sixties, after Pirie's
time. This is not correct.
In the Queen's Birthday Honours list of June 1955, Sir Roger Bannister, a contemporary
of Pirie, was appointed CBE for his services to amateur athletics, clearly for achieving
the first sub-four-minute mile the preceding year. In the same list, George Headley, the
West Indian cricketer, was created MBE.
Picking at random, one finds in the New Year's Honours of 1958 a CBE for Dennis
Compton (services to sport), a similar honour for Dai Rees (golf) and the MBE for the
boxer Hogan “Kid” Bassey (for his services to sport in Eastern Nigeria).
Rather ironically, in the same year, Jack Crump, the secretary of the British Amateur
Athletics Board, with whom Pirie was often at loggerheads, was appointed OBE for his
services to athletics.
Pirie's services to sport far exceeded those of his British contemporaries; athletes or
officials. He was a giant of his time and it was his name that drew crowds to the White
City and inspired the later Bedfords and Fosters. One suspects that he ultimately paid the
price for speaking out and for being of independent mind without the necessary Oxbridge
pedigree. The answers lay among that assembly gathered in St Bride's, and ought to be
revealed.
Mrs Jennifer Gilbody

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/static/in_depth/special_features/sports_personality/54_58.stm:
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1955
“1955 GORDON PIRIE, ATHLETICS. Pirie, the middle distance running champion,
reportedly covered 200 miles a week during training. He clinched the award after setting five world
records and beating a string of first class athletes, a feat that won him huge popularity.”

I would like to thank Miss Patricia Charnet, and my mother, Mrs Jennifer Gilbody, for
their encouragement during this project. At last I have fulfilled my promise to Gordon to
fine-tune, medically validate and publish his work, though I am sure were he here he
would have some words to say; probably “about bloody time”!

Gordon Pirie lived with us for several years up to his death in 1991, and had a profound
effect on us all. Of many things about Gordon, what particularly impressed was his
physical fitness, and desire for perfection with all things athletic. A good example of this
was the time he did some lumber jacking in the New Forest in Hampshire, and proudly
boasted how many more trees he cut down than men thirty years his junior. On another
occasion, I inadvertently agreed to join Gordon “for a run” on a disused section of
railway track, thinking myself moderately fit. Being half Gordon's age, I was somewhat
taken aback when, in the time it took me to run one length of track, Gordon had run
three! Associated with this, which was humiliation enough, were various comments
about my running shoes and running technique (or lack of), as one might imagine.
The original manuscript of this book was written by Gordon, in typical fashion, in 24
hours flat. The 5¼-inch diskette on which the computer file was saved had been tucked
away in a sports bag until Gordon rediscovered it, and somehow got folded in half. As a
result, it took a full weekend to retrieve the data, and I had to cut out the magnetic media
from within the diskette, replace it into a customised new diskette, merge snippets of
uncorrupted data into a single ASCII file, and then laboriously convert the file line by
line into a recognised wordprocessor format. During this process, Gordon looked on with
an enigmatic smile; he always did like to set challenges, however impossible! Revision
and editing was started shortly before Gordon's death, and the manuscript transferred to
our possession, with Gordon's express desire that the book be published by us in order to
assist the training of a new generation of runners. Overall, to get from that early stage to
the present book has taken five years of work, and has been a sizeable project for me,
albeit one which I was of course determined and happy to achieve.
As you will see, the book is highly controversial, with some radical ideas (one of the
reasons it has had to be self-published!), but I believe it is a fitting tribute to Gordon
Pirie, which should give an insight into why he was such a successful runner, and
perhaps even an opportunity for others to emulate him. The reader may be interested to
know of Gordon's two other books – “Running Wild” (published by W H Allen, London,
1961), and “The Challenge of Orienteering” (Pelham Books Limited, 1968). In addition,
the writer Dick Booth recently published a detailed biographical account of Gordon's life,
entitled: “The Impossible Hero” (Corsica Press, London, 1999), which is available from
http://www.bookshop.co.uk and http://www.amazon.co.uk. I should also mention
extensive discussions about Gordon based on interviews (complete chapters) in Alastair
Aitken’s books “Athletics Enigmas” (The Book Guild Ltd., 2002) and “More Than
Winning” (The Book Guild Ltd., 1992).
Finally, I am keen to get your feedback about this book, or any reminiscences about
Gordon, and would be delighted to receive comments (john@johngilbody.com). Also,
check out my “Gordon Pirie Resource Centre” at http://www.gordonpirie.com, where
you can download this book for free in Acrobat (pdf) format. The book is also available
in Russian at http://gordonpirie.narod.ru (site and translation by Andrey Shatalin).
Recommended newsgroup: rec.running. You can find free downloadable newsreel
footage of Gordon at http://www.britishpathe.com; other (purchasable) footage is at
http://www.movietone.com and http://www.footage.net.
Happy reading!

In my 45 years of running, world-wide, I am constantly being called upon to cure injured
runners and correct their technical errors. This applies across the board - from young to
aged, and from champions to novices. It is in response to this overwhelming demand that
I decided to write this book.
There is an entire generation of runners who have suffered severely from the mal-
information supplied to them by shoe manufacturers, and the pseudo-experts who pass
themselves off as knowledgeable authorities in the popular running press. Some of these
runners will never run again. Unfortunately, many runners have been led up athletic blind
alleys by incorrect information, and have become either too severely injured or too
disenchanted with the sport to continue.
This book is an extension of the activities I have been involved in for the last 45 years -
namely, curing injured runners and turning slow runners into fast runners. It is also
written for the champion athletes, runners who intend to develop their extraordinary
abilities to a point where they will be able to win major championship events.
It is a tragedy that so many super-talented runners reach a point just below that of the
great champions, without ever breaking through to the very pinnacle of the sport. These
talented runners fail either because they lack a knowledge of the tactics necessary to win
a race, or because their technique fails them at critical stages during a race; for instance,
being unable to apply the “Fini Britannique”, the “Coup-de-Grace”, the hard finishing
burst which will carry them past their opponents to the finish line ahead. If you are an
athlete who wants to stand on the top step of the victory rostrum, you have to be cleverer
than your opponents, train harder, race tougher, and never give up at any stage of your
running. This book will start you on the road to being the runner you want to become.
It is my hope that this book will release runners from the incorrect information and false
commercialism that has damaged the sport and ruined millions of runners in recent years.
Running is a sport, a game that I love.
Good luck in whatever you achieve. It is all “fun running”.

2 - Running equals springing through the air, landing elastically on the forefoot with a
flexed knee (thus producing quiet feet). On landing, the foot should be directly below the
body. (Walking is landing on the heels with a straight leg).

3 - Any and all additions to the body damage running skill.

4 - Quality beats quantity; the speed at which you practice the most will be your best
speed.

5 - Walking damages running.

6 - The correct running tempo for human beings is between three and five steps per
second.

7 - Arm power is directly proportional to leg power.

8 - Good posture is critical to running. (Don't lean forwards!).

9 - Speed kills endurance; endurance kills speed.

10 - Each individual can only execute one “Program” at any one time; an individual can
be identified by his or her idiosyncrasies (i.e. “Program”). An individual can change his
or her “Program” only by a determined, educational effort; each individual's “Program”
degenerates unless it is controlled constantly.

11 - Static stretching exercises cause injuries!

12 - Running equals being out of breath, so breathing through the mouth is obligatory
(hence the nickname “Puff Puff Pirie”).

The primary reason running has become the most popular participant sport in the United
States and elsewhere in recent years is its innate simplicity. Running is an activity which
comes naturally to all human beings. It is of course true that some people are born with a
particular set of physical and psychological characteristics that make them better runners
than the rest, but, nevertheless, everyone can run well at some distance. In addition,
running requires no particular equipment or infrastructure; only a simple resolve to “get
at it”.
Given this innate simplicity, it is maddening for people like myself (I have been in the
sport for nearly half a century) to see running become cluttered up with so much bad
information - erroneous assumptions ranging from the supposed safest and most efficient
way to train, to supposed proper running-shoe design. Much of this information is so
distorted and based on so many mistaken principles, that it is impossible for either the
serious athlete or the health-conscious jogger to know where to turn for guidance. During
my own running career, I have seen the sport mature from the days when it was
uncommon for the top runners to train more than three or four times each week, to the
present era where sponsorship and product endorsements make it possible for the top
athletes to devote virtually all of their time to training and racing.
In the last 45 years, I have participated in three Olympic Games (winning a Silver Medal
in the 5,000-metre race at the 1956 Melbourne Games), and have set five official world
records (and a dozen or so more unofficial world bests). I have faced and beaten most of
the greatest athletes of my time, and have run to date nearly a quarter of a million miles.
Along the way, I have coached several of Great Britain and New Zealand's best runners -
some of whom have set their own world records. In addition, I aided the late Adolf (Adi)
Dassler (founder of Adidas) in developing spiked racing shoes, on which most of today's
good designs are based. This brief list of some of my accomplishments is presented in
order to lend credibility to what follows.
The information in this book is not based on idle speculations or esoteric theorising, but
on more than 45 years of experience as an athlete and coach. I therefore hope that I can
now begin to make a rigorous case for the fact that most runners in the world are
currently running incorrectly and training inefficiently. This holds true both for people
who are running simply to improve the quality of their health, as well as for athletes
competing at the upper levels of international competition. Statistics compiled by the
American Medical Association indicate that as many as 70 percent of the more than 30
million “serious” runners in the United States can count on being injured every year. This
disturbing injury rate is not limited solely to beginners and elite athletes, but applies to
runners at every level, across the board.
There are three basic reasons for the injury epidemic currently sweeping the running
world, which is making life unpleasant for millions of runners, and destroying many
more who are lost to the sport forever. The first is the most basic - very few runners
know how to run correctly. Improper technique puts undue strain on the feet, ankles,
knees, back and hips, and makes injury inevitable.
The second reason is more subtle than the first, though closely related to it. Most running
shoes today are designed and constructed in such a manner as to make correct technique
impossible (and therefore cause chronic injuries to the people who wear them). It is a
common misconception that a runner should land on his or her heels and then roll
forward to the front of the foot with each stride. In designing their shoes, most shoe
companies fall prey to this incorrect assumption. The result is that running shoes get

The prevailing attitude amongst runners and those who coach or advise them, is that a
failure to attain specific goals is the result of either bad luck, lack of talent, or some form
of psychological shortcoming on the part of the athlete. Usually, none of these reasons is
true. Athletes fail so often because they are not trained to succeed. Most athletes employ
training methods or have lifestyles which make it impossible for them to perform up to
their expectations and aspirations. Another important factor is the poor design of most
running shoes. The shoe manufacturers have taken on the role of God. They think that He
made a mistake in designing man's foot, and that they are going to fix it overnight! I will
discuss this latter point in some detail later.
The most common difficulty in the United States (and almost everywhere else in the
world) is the obsession people have with measuring everything they do. The object of
serious training is to improve racing performance, but to listen to many athletes and
coaches one would think that the object is simply to produce impressive numbers for the
training diary! Too many athletes get stuck in the notion that the end of training is
training; if an athlete cannot string together a certain number of 100-mile weeks or run so
many times 400 metres in such and such a time, then he or she becomes discouraged and
begins to wonder whether any kind of performance is possible.
Remember, the reason an athlete trains is to race.
Set aside right now the idea that impressive training results will automatically translate
into successful racing. Progress is not measured on the training track, or by the number
of miles logged each week. Progress is determined by what happens when an athlete
races.
Training must be adjusted to the athlete's needs on a daily basis. There is no set formula
for how often a fit athlete should do his or her hardest training. The athlete and coach
must learn to adjust training expectations according to factors in the athlete's life, outside
of running. If, for example, the coach wishes an athlete to run 20x200 metres in 30
seconds, but the athlete has had a difficult day at work or school, the coach should reduce
the workload accordingly. The athlete may well be able to run 20x200 metres in
something slower than 30 seconds (say 33 seconds), or run at 30-second speed ten times,
but the effort may set training back as much as a week. They should take an easy day.
Because runners always demonstrate a determination and singleness of purpose rarely
encountered in people involved in other sports, they tend to overdo their training when
rest is called for (that is, relative rest, not necessarily zero activity). The generally
accepted notion is: “The harder I train, the faster I will run”. This is not necessarily true.
There is nothing wrong with training very hard for a time - even right to the limit - then
backing off and having a period of rest. Hard training is very important; but so is rest.
Training hard when fatigued is asking for frustration, disappointment, and possibly injury
or illness.
A training plan is very important, but it should be infinitely flexible! Too zealous an
adherence to a plan can leave a runner flat on his back. In May 1981, I watched Grete
Waitz training at Bislet Stadium in Oslo two or three days after a hard race. Her legs
were still stiff and sore from the stress of the race, so her training (300-metre sprints) was
going badly. I wrote to Arne Haukvik, the Oslo promoter, following that session to ask
him to warn Grete that she would soon be injured if she pursued this course of training.
Sure enough, Grete suffered a serious foot injury a few weeks later, which caused her to
drop out of her world record attempt at 5,000 metres. She lost the rest of the season.

The three subjects cited in the title of this chapter are closely related, and yet,
unfortunately, most athletes take injuries for granted - as going hand in hand with hard
training - and usually view them as being the result of mysterious accidents. Injuries
seem almost to be considered a matter of fate, utterly out of the athlete's control. Even
Grete Waitz had this misconception. Grete said in late 1984 that her body was beginning
to break down under the strain of all the miles she had run over the years. If that were
true, my body would have come apart in the mid-1950s. It did not. Injuries need not
occur at all. Of course, there are times when an unseen stone or tree root might send a
runner head-over-heels to the infirmary, but most stress-related injuries keeping runners
on the sidelines are preventable. This is not to say that running-related injuries are not a
serious problem, however, as evidenced by the rapid growth in recent years of a new
medical specialty devoted to the care of injured athletes.
It has become fashionable for so-called fitness experts to suggest that running is not the
best way to get fit. These experts even suggest that running is not an activity the body
was designed to do. This is rubbish! As long as the runner (whether brand new to the
sport or a grizzled veteran) is running correctly and training sensibly, there is little to fear
from stress-related injuries.
Let us begin our discussion, therefore, by considering the problem of the perpetually
injured runner. A runner trying to solve the injury prevention puzzle must start with the
most basic aspect of the activity. A person new to the sport or a much injured veteran
will very likely need to start at square one. Most people who begin to run, either
competitively or for health reasons, believe that all they need to know is the location of
the nearest running shoe store. They dash out, pay a large sum of money for the latest
running shoes, and start running. Most - about 70 percent according to medical statistics -
will be injured before they have broken in their new high-tech footwear, their legs
usually being affected first. This injury cycle will continue unchecked until the runner
either quits in frustration, or is forced to do so because he or she is too crippled to
continue.
It is absolutely essential that the runner wears shoes which make correct running
technique possible, and that he or she is constantly supervised until correct technique is
mastered. This is the coach's most important job in the early stages of a runner's
development. There is no point in running large distances until the athlete has learned to
run correctly. I cannot emphasize this point enough. An athlete who runs correctly can
train hard for years without any time lost to stress-related injuries. I have trained very
hard for 45 years and have suffered only two or three injuries which have stopped me
from training. My longevity is a direct result of paying close attention to the way I run,
and what I put on my feet. Shoes which enable correct running technique are essential.
In many cases, it is possible to tell in advance what kind of injury a runner will suffer
from, by examining the way he or she runs. I can tell an injured athlete what error in
running technique they are making from the particular injury they have. A specific injury
may be caused by a particular type of running shoe, or a specific error in running
technique. Over 70 percent of the running shoes on the market today are causing injuries
by their design. By an amazing coincidence, this 70 percent figure corresponds to the
percentage of runners who are injured every year.
It is not only essential to learn correct running technique, but equally vital to find a shoe
designed to allow correct technique to develop. It is no coincidence that most runners
from developing nations, many of whom grew up never wearing shoes, exhibit the best

Now that we know something about correct technique, let us consider in more detail the
type of shoes which will be of greatest benefit, and how to make them from the garbage
produced by most shoe manufacturers.
In bare feet, Abebe Bikela won the 1960 Olympic Marathon over the terrible streets of
Rome on a course that included stretches of cobblestones. Bruce Tulloh won the 1962
European 5,000-metre championship in his bare feet, running the last three laps in just
over three minutes. Similarly, in bare feet, teenager Zola Budd set world records over
2,000 and 5,000 metres, world junior records at 1,500 and 3,000 metres, and ran one mile
in 4:17.55; she was also barefoot when she won the 1985 World Cross Country
Championships.
Look closely at the footwear worn in major championship events, and you won't see
anyone competing in anything except the very lightest racing spikes. No-one in the
Olympic Games or World Championships races in the overstuffed, wedge-heeled
orthopaedic boots that most joggers wear. This is not surprising, as the difference
between running in barefeet and in the typical jogging shoe can be up to 30 seconds a
mile, and I therefore advise all my trainees to wear the very lightest shoes they can find
for training. These shoes should have the same amount of padding at the front under the
toes as at the rear, with no wedged or flared heels. It is essential that the material under
the toes of the foot be at least as thick as anywhere else in the sole, because 90 percent of
the wear takes place under the toes when correct technique is employed.
Unfortunately, the ideal running shoe is not offered by most major manufacturers. Your
best hope is to get the lightest, most economically constructed shoes you can find, then
machine them to the correct specifications. The perfect running shoe should be
something like a heavy-duty ballet slipper - simply an extra layer of protective material
around the foot, like a glove. If you run correctly, you will be able to wear such a shoe
and never be injured. I once advised a 58-year-old marathon runner, Ed Schaeffer, whose
best time had been 3:28, to change his technique and shoes, with the result that his time
immediately dropped to 2:58. He told me later it had been “easy” to run 30 minutes
faster! Another example was a 4:12.8 miler I retrained; he dropped his time to 4:02 in
just three weeks.
Now that you know what to do with your feet and legs, and understand how poorly
designed running shoes contribute to both injury and slower running, how may we
produce a shoe to fit your feet?
We shall do this by taking a typical pair of running shoes, and reconstructing them to the
correct specifications. Firstly, the shoe should fit properly; the foot will slip and slide in a
shoe that is not close-fitting, resulting in a loss of performance as well as friction-related
injuries such as blisters, which can lead to subtle changes in the way you run, and
predispose to more serious injuries. Ideally, the shoe should fit snugly “like a glove”.
Secondly, it is essential to prevent the most common injury directly related to poor shoe
design, namely that to the Achilles tendon. A very quick way to guarantee yourself an
injury to this very vulnerable part of your body is to allow any part of your shoe to
impinge on the tendon - all running shoes have a piece of material (either plastic or

In this chapter, we will examine the specifics of how to prepare yourself to compete over
the full range of racing distances - from 100 metres up to the marathon. The specifics of
training for each group of distances may be different, but the basic principles remain the
same, regardless of whether the athlete's race lasts a few seconds or for several hours.
The goal of training is to prepare the body to cover a particular distance as quickly as
possible. The key to a sound training programme is understanding what is required in
order to accomplish that goal.

How To Run A Race

The purpose of training is, of course, to race over your speciality as quickly as possible.
In order to understand exactly how to go about training for a race, we must first know
what a race is and how to run it.
If you came from outer space, knew nothing at all about running, and I challenged you to
a race, how would you go about preparing? Let us say that you have a month to get
ready. I have shown you the starting and finishing lines. It is irrelevant what the distance
is - you, the Spaceman, have no concept of Earth distances anyway. The answer to my
question as to how to train is to stand at the start and run to the finish line as fast as you
can. Then you will take a rest, and do it again and again until you have become good at
it. On the day of the race, our Spaceman will set off as fast as possible in an attempt to
get away from his competitors. He knows from his training what pace he can endure. He
knows that if it is difficult for him, it is likely to be difficult for the others, too. The
harder he runs, the greater his chances of defeating the others. If another runner hangs on
to him, he knows that he either has the other runner at his mercy, because this fellow is
hanging on, or, alternatively, the other runner is dangerous because he is attempting to
pass and take over the pace himself. If it is a “hanger on” situation the Spaceman will
attack, and accelerate in an effort to detach himself. If, on the other hand, it is a “cheeky
challenger”, the tactics must be different. Let him take the lead for a spell. If the fellow is
strong, you must keep up at all costs. Keep up and gather yourself for a finishing sprint.
This is the hard part. You must wait and be very alert, for your competitor is going to do
the same thing. You have to strike first to get a lead of a few feet or yards, you hope,
before he himself attacks. If the other runner gets his sprint in first, you must go with him
instantly, striving to wear him down and finally pass him in the last few yards.
Thus, in a race, one must never give a competitor an advantage. A good example of this
happening occurred in the World Record Mile of 1985, in which Sebastian Coe allowed
Steve Cram to steal a considerable lead in the second lap. Coe then used up his reserves
to catch up again in the third lap, and as a result lost the capacity for his legs to sprint,
and hence the race. You have to keep in contact with your closest challengers the whole
of the distance, Mr Coe!

Interval Training

Let us now look at the fundamentals of Gerschler's classic Interval Training Protocol, in
the hope of shedding some light on this clouded subject; and in the process do away with
the myths that have grown up around it.
Gerschler's system embraces all distances from 2,000 metres down to 100 metres. His
statement that you can achieve full development in winter training through the use of

Interval running, properly applied, is not only scientifically sound, but is also the most
efficient and quickest way to bring an athlete up to a high standard. Improperly applied
interval training has led to this time-honoured and well-proven system being maligned
and blamed for athletes experiencing all kinds of difficulties. This is because careless
application of interval running can damage runners. On the other hand, when it is applied
intelligently, its results can be nothing short of miraculous. The plain truth about interval
running is that it serves the purpose of developing the heart, circulation and muscles
better than any other system. Its beauty is that it does so in a fraction of the time required
by long slow distance (LSD) training.
The longer stretches of race distance together with middle distance are an indispensable
part of Gerschler's system, which is now well over half a century old. It preceded all
other such systems of training, and it should be appreciated that Gerschler was the
forerunner of a long line of experts who have put forward his ideas as theirs.
Much of the difficulty many athletes have with interval training is that they approach it
like a competition. Gerschler's motto for interval running was: “Take it easy”. As I
started my faster runs in an interval session, he always called to me: “Langersammer
(Slower)!”. You should take an interval session in your stride, running well within your
capabilities. We cruised around the faster sections of our runs with controlled power. As
a result, even after 80x200 metres I was still able to go for a run around the forest in
Freiburg for another 3 miles or so, and then be ready for more later in the day. It was a
very enjoyable way of running, but involved a lot of sweat!
The following factors should be carefully controlled in an interval session:

1. Speed. The pace should be such that the athlete is able to complete the whole session
without undue difficulty.

2. Distance. The distance run in this type of training should not be longer than the athlete
can comfortably achieve at the required pace.

3. Repetitions. The athlete should not be expected to repeat a distance during a training
session more often than he is comfortably able to do.

4. Continuous motion. The athlete should run at a comfortable pace between fast runs to
assist in the recovery process.

5. Variation. Distances and speeds should be varied from session to session to maintain
interest.

6. Technique. Training sessions should provide the coach with an excellent opportunity
to monitor his athlete's technique.

The next 14x200m run might require a standard interval of 60 seconds. As fatigue sets in
after this, and the “rest” interval required extends to 65 seconds, stop running!
Progress is indicated by an improvement in the required rest interval (i.e. it gets shorter),
and also by an increase in the number of repetitions which can be run before the onset of
fatigue. In addition, progress should be accompanied by an ability to run the fast section
at a greater speed without breaking the top pulse rule (i.e. keeping the maximum pulse
rate below 180 per minute), which should occur with ease, and without extra effort.
The usual times taken to run 100 metres vary from 20 seconds for the beginner down to
15 seconds for the highly trained athlete. The equivalent figures for 200 metres are 40
and 30 seconds, and for 400 metres 80 and 60 seconds, respectively.
The number of repetitions which can be run varies from 10 up to as many as 40. Even
more can be handled by a world record runner. Before the latter state is reached,
however, it will be time to progress to other types of training (described later).
Interestingly, during interval training, most development occurs during the interval; this
was the conclusion reached by Waldemar Gerschler and Professor Reindel at the
Freiburg Sports Institute after many years of research on thousands of subjects. Consider
this quote from an article by Gerschler himself, which appeared over thirty years ago in
the magazine “World Sports”:

Bearing in mind the above quote from Gerschler, here is how to put together a training
session which effectively employs interval training. Begin with gentle activity. Since
your last training session your body has no doubt drifted into a lazy state. You may be
apprehensive about training because you go too hard at it.
Begin by relaxing your mind; go slowly. Even walk to start off with, then run easily but
with a quick rhythm, for about 20 minutes. Most athletes do not warm-up enough. If
possible, do this warm-up away from the track; in a park, woodland, or anywhere where
you can concentrate on your technique and breathing. Never step straight out from cold
and do those silly stretching exercises. Don't do static stretching at all; this is associated
with injuries. Always run easily for 10 to 15 minutes before any exercises. Then do 5
minutes of exercises, which should mainly be free movements, imitating the actions of

These training protocols were complemented by doing a one-hour warm-up, and 20
minutes of easy running afterwards. Some sessions embraced a total running time of over
three and a half hours.
Today, however, after years of experience with the interval training technique, we know
that it is sufficient to work up to a point where you can run 10 to 20 x 400m in around 60
seconds, with an interval of 25 to 30 seconds. When you reach this point, you are then
ready to move on to greater things, and a conversion takes place from interval training to
preparation for racing. Racing requires short periods of higher speeds and/or continuous
speeds plus “high speed”, in order to enable you to win races at the finish.

1 - Run stretches in which you race hard all the way over 30 to 40 minutes.

2 - Run the race distance hard.

3 - Run the race speed as far as you can, and repeat it.

These activities should come together over a period of about 6 weeks. For example, a
5,000m runner attempting to run 14 minutes may try to run 68 seconds per lap all the
way. This speed will be adequate because the “average” time will be upgraded by a fast
final lap. He therefore must practice 68 seconds per lap for the greatest distance he dares
and can manage. The next step would be for him to run 14 minutes hard to accustom
himself to the duration of the race effort, and then to run 5,000m time trials on the track.
Time trials are an indispensable part of training. At the beginning of the season (first
time trial), one usually manages to cope with 2 or 3 laps before losing speed and coming
apart in every way. On the second time trial, I usually find I have improved, and manage
five or six laps before crashing. After half a dozen trials, my psychological attitude has
reached the stage where I am thinking: “There's only 12 laps left, lets go! Speed up!
Speed up!” instead of struggling negatively to finish the run. My legs “Speed up!” to run
like a well-oiled machine, instead of negatively struggling. Most runners never reach this
stage of pure attack even in racing, either because they become discouraged during their
early time trials, or because they haven't done any! Despite running world records, I had
to go through this psychological and physiological phase at the beginning of every racing
season - and so must you. You must cope with this if you want to win. You must build up
your mind along with your body. You forget what hard effort was required last year in
order to run super-fast times now.
Keep the notion of continuous motion in mind at all times. Interval training on its own
can overtire and even destroy you. It is important to fully utilise all elements of a
balanced training programme - interval training, longer stretches, general running and
strength training - throughout the year, but to change the emphasis as your condition
improves and your racing season approaches. Keep off the energy-absorbing intervals -
this is where most athletes make their biggest mistake. As an athlete gets super-fit, the
coach makes him run more and more sessions of 200- and 400-metre repetitions in
hyper-fast times with shorter and shorter rest intervals. It certainly looks good in the
training reports, but doing this sort of training will quickly turn a champ into a chump.
Interval training is very destructive unless Gerschler's rules are adhered to.
Thus, take it easy with proper speeds, proper running rest intervals and proper distances.
Where high racing speeds are desired, hyper-fast runs are needed, to be followed by a
generous period of passive recovery (even as much as 20 minutes). Note that this is not
interval running, and a different set of rules apply. An example of this type of training
protocol would be:

The number of fast runs performed is inversely proportional to speed. Thus, the faster
you go, the fewer such runs you will be able to manage. In ideal weather conditions, the
rests should be passive (stationary) rest, and not running, followed by a mini-warm-up
(e.g. one lap of jogging containing three or four accelerations over 10 to 15 metres).
Following this, walk around for a minute or two gathering yourself for the fast run.
In order to deal with this type of faster training, we need to add some introductory
speedwork to your warm-up. After the easy running and exercises, put on your spiked
shoes and run 6x100 metres, beginning lightly and working up to the speed you will
employ during your hyper-fast runs (e.g. 16, 15.7, 15.3, 14.9, 14.5, and 14.0 seconds per
100 metres). Between these easy warm-up sprints, jog-walk back to the start line. It is
important to measure these speeds carefully because you are trying to develop fine
judgement of the exact pace you will utilise in the fast time trials. A feeling of good
rhythm and correct effort, plus proper technique, are all reinforced during this
introductory warm-up “speed” running.
During your hyper-fast runs you will need to be given appropriate intermediate times, so
that you can further develop sound pace judgement. For example, an athlete attempting
to run 400 metres in 50 seconds should pass 100 metres in 12.8, 200 metres in 24.5, and
300 metres in 37 seconds. Note that the first 100 metres of each repetition should be
slightly slower than the rest of the run (having started from zero speed in the first 100m),
so that the athlete is able to finish strongly and fast without an undue feeling of fatigue
and loss of form; as experienced in badly judged efforts (e.g. 11 secs, 11.5 secs, 12.75
secs and 14.25 secs, which is devastating physically and psychologically, and not
beneficial at all).
In addition to the above, Gerschler taught us to run hard to at least 10 metres beyond the
actual finish line. Gerschler was concerned how we drove through the tape in a race. He
had nightmares (almost!) seeing Josey Barthel racing the last few steps, looking pleased
and slowing up while winning the 1,500m Gold Medal in the Helsinki Olympics - nearly
letting Bob McMillen of the USA through to win. So we always trained to run beyond
the tape, and not at it!
Training is much more than just running intervals. You must go on to do race practice,
together with fast and hyper-fast running. The hyper-fast times shown above are for a
world-class athlete in peak form; you will therefore have to adjust your expectations
accordingly. For example:

1 - 400m to be run in 60 secs, then 58 etc. down to 52 or even 48 secs over a period of
time.

2 - 600m in 1:36, then 1:32, then 1:30, then 1:28, and perhaps even 1:14.

3 - 800m in 2:04, then 1:58, then 1:54, and perhaps even 1:48.

(N.B. Each training session should produce identical times for each run. The
improvements quoted occur over a period of time).

Nowadays, running on the modern rubber track, and not the cinder track I used to do the
above training, means that running times can be greatly lowered by as much as one and a
half seconds per lap (taking into account the slightly shorter metric distances). In
addition to all this running, I was doing a great deal of weight training!
It is important to remember that when you run your race simulations, you must do so in a
less stressful manner than when actually racing. Take it easy and forget about sprinting
the last lap; just run along at a comfortable pace. The object is to accustom your body
and your mind to running the distance. My favourite runs were 2 miles in 8:40 to 9
minutes, four miles in 18:30-19:30, and three miles in 13:30-13:35. I liked to finish these
runs quickly, with a last lap of about 60 or 61 seconds, but not flat-out (I have done 53.8
seconds for the last 440 yards of a 5,000m race). You can do the same kind of running,
below your maximum ability, over distances ranging from 3,000 metres up to 10,000
metres, although I am sure that very few runners can do the type and volume of very fast
running I was doing in the 1950s. Initially, you will have to settle for running well within
your capabilities - with times a little more conservative.
But how can you find your particular level? How do you know how fast to run these fast
stretches?
You have to seek out an experienced coach to match your training schedule to your
ability at any particular moment. A runner cannot do this himself very easily. If you are a
coach, you must make sure that you are very careful to gauge the abilities of your
athletes correctly. It is important that you do not demand more than the athlete is able to
reasonably deliver, whilst still being able to recover for a similar session the next day. I
like to set a target time my athletes can easily reach - then they always succeed!
I deal with about 100 different facets of training when trying to produce champion
runners. Most coaches I know understand about 20 of these 100 facets, some coaches
know 45 or 50, and I have known one or two who know all 100 facets of the art. The
point I am making is that: (1) there is no detail of your life or your training which is too
minor to be considered in relation to your training schedule; and (2) it is crucial to find
yourself as good a coach as possible, because it is not possible to take guidance solely
from a piece of paper (like the training schedules you frequently see published in
magazines, and the schedules of my own that I have cited here). You really need a
mentor to save you from making the 1,001 mistakes that can be made in training and
racing. A good doctor is also important (see Chapter Six on diet and vitamins).
Now that you have become very fit after a good solid period of training, and are also very
strong, you will want to race. Before a big race your body must be freshened up from all
the hard work in order to achieve your top form. I have actually spoken recently to
“top” coaches whose policy it is to send athletes into competition tired. This is wrong!
Bill Toomey told me he had five days of zero activity before winning the decathlon in the
1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City. The high altitude there might have had something
to do with this exceptionally long rest before that particular competition. A runner will
usually relax his training load for at least three or four days leading up to a competition -
but you will need to do something fast the day before and even the morning of the race in

Almost every Sunday for the last 40 years I have done an “extra long” run, preferably
over very difficult terrain, in the mountains, up and down steep hills, or through forests.
The Surrey hills in England were a great place for this type of training. An ideal Sunday
session would be a three-hour run in the morning, followed by an easy run of 30 minutes
to an hour in the afternoon. We had some really mad Sunday runs in the 1950s. At times
we covered as many as 40 miles in a day, just for the hell of it.
How my training is organised during the week is a result of the fact that in the 1950s in
London it was only possible to use the track on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Tooting
Bec track where we trained was only floodlit on those days during the winter months. So
a tradition dating back 40 years, and based on the limitations imposed by the lighting
situation at Tooting Bec, has been dictated to the athletes I train, first in England and
later in New Zealand. Our hard training days have always been Tuesday and Thursday,
with relatively easy running on the days in between. Every champion runner we had in
our Otahuhu Club in Auckland, including Anne Audain and Alison Roe, was initiated

The eventual range of my running, despite an initial limitation of raw speed, went from
35.6 seconds for 300 metres, through to international class half-mile races of around 1:52
(though I think I could have run under 1:50.0), to world class 10,000m races, and a listed
World Record over 20 miles of 2 hours. I defeated the 1956 Olympic Silver Medalist
over 1,500 metres and world record holders Peter Snell and Wes Santee over a mile. I
was able to beat the world records for distances ranging from 3,000 metres through to 20
miles. I am one of only three athletes who has held world records and been ranked
among the top 10 in the world in the 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000m at the same time. (The
other two are Kenyan Kip Keino and Belgium's Gaston Reiff). I was ranked in the top 10
twelve times in 10 years. This is the longest span of time any athlete has been ranked in
the top 10.
So, the training programme I followed gave me everything, including the ability to lead a
race for the entire distance, or to wait and sprint past everyone at the finish (except Herb
Elliott, who was unbeatable at every stage of almost any race). I wasn't a “sitter” by any
means, but a Jack-of-all-trades racer who took races anyway they were offered up. I also
believe in doing special training to change speeds instantly; this I did during the three

To run really fast in a sprint is most often a gift some runners are born with, but others
can acquire it through years of hard work. We have all seen the gifted type who ran away
from us at school without training and with consummate ease on a 100- or 220-yard
sprint. Give these guys and girls a pair of spikes and they go like a rocket for the short
sprints, but die a horrible death if they try the same thing for a quarter-mile.
These gifted people are destroyed by over-training and stretching exercises. Their
magical ability is eroded away slowly and surely over two or three seasons by the games
of hours of exercising, and drills of false technique that are popular today.
Two examples that spring to mind are Houston McTear, a 9.9 second 100-metre man at
High School who was worn down to a 10.6 second man, and finally a nothing-at-all man.
Or Henley-Smith's New Zealand Schoolboy Champions who ended up injured most of
the time, and consequently unable to climb into the top tiers of senior running.
The sprinter is best personified by a fellow who trains only two or three times a week. He
spends a lot of time playing other games, like football, basketball or soccer. When he
does train, he does very little volume, but a lot of sprinting at high speed, especially out
of blocks - this in lightweight racing spikes. He cannot last beyond 200 metres as a rule,

A race is an all-out effort over a short period of minutes or seconds. The aim of weight
training for runners is to simulate as closely as possible the movements used in running
their special event, and hence the demands which racing makes on the body. In this way,
the body's strength can be developed, with an emphasis on ensuring that the body is
balanced in strength, and not lopsided with one side stronger than the other, as
commonly occurs because most people are either right- or left-handed. A runner should
be equally strong in both sides of the body - left and right - and have balanced strength
between the front and back of the body.
Many athletes I treat for injuries are stronger on one side of the body than the other, and
it is my belief that injuries are often caused by this imbalance. The weaker side is pushed
or pulled by the stronger side until it gives out. The most common injury of this kind is
of the hamstrings, resulting from unbalanced back strength. Weights used in training
should therefore demand equal efforts from both sides of the body, and to achieve this I
have found dumb-bells very useful. Many of the runners who decry the positive effects
of weight training have gained their superior strength with the assistance of a good
Doctor or Chemist. Others - like Sebastian Coe and Steve Scott - are open about the
significant role that weight training has played in their training.
With dumb-bell exercises, you should try to use heavier and heavier weights up to as
much as one-third or even one-half of your body weight. This is very difficult. If you are
able to easily handle as many as three sets of ten repetitions of a particular weight, then
the weight is too light. If you cannot do at least six repetitions, the weight is too heavy.
The same rule applies to weights requiring a bar-bell. You should aim to work to at least
two-thirds or more of your body weight with bar-bells. The ultimate test is to be able to
lift the equivalent of your own body weight over your head. When you can do this, you
will be strong enough for running events.
Top field event performers and sprinters can lift weights up to the level of the very best
weightlifters. Valery Borzov, 1972 Olympic 100- and 200-metre Champion, was
fantastically strong. World record holder Jarmila Kratochvilova became so powerful that
her femininity was drawn into question (actually, her fantastic ability was the result of
almost 20 years of hard training).
I was first introduced to weight training in 1952 by John Disley, who handed me a bar
with 15 pounds of weight on it. I was puny (though already British running champion
and record holder at this time). The 15 pounds of weight was almost impossible for me to
push over my head. My arms and upper body protested violently against the exercise,
and after one session with this “massive” weight my muscles were dead. By the next day,
however, I began to feel the positive effects of my efforts, with strength seemingly
beginning to flow through my body. In no time at all, I felt my three-hour runs going
better. I couldn't afford to buy my own weights or go to a gym, so I found a log of wood
and started my weight training at home in the garden, with builder's lead nailed to the
ends of the log. I got stronger and stronger and, suddenly, I was stunning people with my
sprint finishes, as well as pounding many of my competitors out of sight before the sprint
even came round.
In 1953, a generous gentleman from Surrey (whose name I have, regrettably, forgotten)
gave me a set of weights after seeing a picture of my training “log” in the newspapers. I
did weights in our back garden facing the kitchen window. My mother often pulled faces

Compared to the average, sedentary, civilised person, the highly active, stressed and
hard-working runner needs an increased supply of all the essential vitamins, minerals and
nutrients. Most athletes pay little or no attention to the food they eat; and some are
successful for a time. But it is very difficult to find an athlete who survives at a high level
for a significant length of time without paying careful attention to what goes into his
body. In “advanced” nations like Britain and the United States, people are fed by giant
food corporations which not only monopolize the market, but denutrify the basic foods,
reducing their natural ingredients and nutritional qualities to a point where the food is
almost useless; and replacing these essential nutrients with a lot of poisonous chemicals
and other additives. Many of these food additives are combined in such a manner that
they actually destroy vitamins and minerals which are already in the body. If you are an
average person, and you eat an average diet, you can bet that you will be suffering from
malnutrition, but have been brainwashed by advertising into thinking otherwise.
If you eat nature's foods - fruits, vegetables, whole grains - the only way to get the full
value from them is to bend down and eat them off the ground, or reach up and eat them
off the tree or plant they are growing on. Every hour and day that passes after a natural
food leaves its home decreases its nutritional value. The fresher you can get your food,
the better. If you wait long enough (months or years in the case of some foods in cold
storage), most of the valuable nutrients will be destroyed. If you eat these stored foods
you could get almost nothing in the way of nutritional value from them.
Never eat white flour or its products, nor any sugars, nor any milk that has been
homogenised. Scientists can tell you this, unless they are funded by one of the major
food companies. Do not believe scientific “facts” that have been purchased on the backs
of food packages.
In my nearly 50 years of mixing with outstanding sports performers, I have discovered
that it is possible to achieve distinction without proper nutrition, but a malnourished
athlete will not stay at the top for very long before degenerating. The most common
factor among successful sportsmen and women is that they are health-food and
vitamin-supplement conscious. Many are also vegetarians. When you meet these careful
and clever eaters later in life (if they have been able to avoid accidents and other acts of
fate), they are usually still active, fit and healthy, especially when compared with
someone who has lived on the average processed diet.
The volume of food eaten is another factor. Similarly, how food is eaten is important,
and, indeed, is just as important as what has been eaten. A meal should be taken in a
relaxed, happy and non-stressful atmosphere. Time should be taken to eat your food
slowly and thoroughly. The person who gobbles down his food without being relaxed
(perhaps he argues, works or watches television during meals) is headed in the wrong
direction.
So, if you live in our beautiful “advanced” nations, you need to supplement your
nutrition with vitamins and minerals, and to discard those things that represent
mal(bad)nutrition. If you are a racing runner, you need even more supplemental help than
the average person - and the average person needs plenty. More and more is being
discovered about the effects that vitamins have on the body. Hard-training athletes
require a lot of extra vitamins and minerals, and must find a clever doctor who can save
their lives, and increase their level of performance. It is very easy to go wrong with
vitamins. Too much of a vitamin, in some cases, can be as bad as too little. The doctor's
job is to evaluate you as an individual, and guide you in your special needs. These needs

Cycled 230 kilometres from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., covering the first 30 kilometres in one hour,
after which I ate a mini-meal with vitamin and mineral supplements. This was repeated
eight times throughout the day so I arrived at my destination fresh and ready to run six
miles.

Second Day

Cycled 30 kilometres, took a mini-meal and supplements; ran for two and a quarter
hours, had a mini-meal with supplements; ran for three and a half hours, had a mini-meal
with supplements; and cycled 30 kilometres home.

Following these two days of extraordinary exercise, I continued running for two to three
hours each day without any discomfort or fatigue. Despite the massive amount of
exercise I put in during those two days, I experienced no need to “recover”. In order to
do that kind of activity, you must either be crazy or very careful with your nutrition; if
you are not careful you will come apart. The mini-meals I ate consisted of one 100mg
iron tablet, one gram of vitamin C, four small sweets, half a pint of milk, a slice of black
bread, and two ounces of cheese. These meals and supplements were taken every hour on
the first day, and between activities on the second day. I drank water as my thirst dictated
during the exercise. There are other instances where I was able to continue high levels of
vigorous exercise because I was adequately nourished. I did not have any adverse effects
from this very strenuous activity. This still applies today, and I find it easy to do many
hours of sustained exercise, provided I have good nutrition.

Mistakes Made By Athletes

Diet is not the only area in which athletes can make mistakes. A hard-training athlete
must take care to manage every aspect of his life. He must closely monitor his body on a
day-to-day basis in order to avoid serious problems.
The worst mistake an athlete can make is one that causes his own death. This is obvious,
but not as uncommon as one might think. If an athlete is ill, as a result of malnutrition or
any other cause, he must take the necessary steps to remedy it. Apart from the obvious,
like not running when ill, there are other rules an athlete must obey. You should take
your pulse every morning before you get out of bed. In a short time you will arrive at a
base level for your resting pulse. If your pulse has increased by as little as 10 percent
above the base level, do not train on that day, and until your pulse has returned to the
base level for two consecutive days. A high pulse is a signal from your body that

ANOREXIA - It is not uncommon for college teams in the US to insist that their girls
control their weight by dieting, without correct nutritional guidance; the scales being the
only criterion. The result is that some young women stop eating to “make the weight”
whenever they are tested. A weakened condition caused by not eating enough nutritious
food can lead to many problems, sickness and even broken bones. Female runners should
instead aim to get faster by getting stronger and healthier with hard training and eating
nutritious foods and taking vitamin supplements.

SPORTS ANAEMIA - This is another common problem amongst athletes who train
hard which is likely to be caused by poor nutrition. Without proper nutrition, it is
impossible to absorb the amount of iron necessary to carry out hard training day after
day. Even if there is an abundance of iron available in the diet, inadequate nutrition may
prevent the athlete from getting maximum iron absorption, and the blood count will
plummet. Vitamin B12 and folic acid (other haematinics) are also critical in such cases.
Have a regular blood test to establish the level of haemoglobin in your body. Under a
doctor's guidance, take iron supplements and improve your nutrition to raise your blood
count, if necessary. If you are anaemic, don't look for a miracle cure. It can take as long
as six months to improve your blood count - if you take it easy. It may be necessary to
take a period of rest while you rebuild your blood. Then resume training as a healthier
person. If you continue to train hard you are likely to have a greater set-back.
Once again, it is important to work on this problem with a physician who is aware of the
needs of a training athlete. A doctor used to the “average” person will tell you that a
blood count (i.e. haemoglobin level) of 12 g/dl is adequate. If you are going to be an